


Life Day on D'Qar

by BaronVonChop



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Coping, Found Family, Gen, Life day, Past Character Death, Spoilers, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 20:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5512850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaronVonChop/pseuds/BaronVonChop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!</p>
<p>Rey wants to help Chewbacca so that he does not have to spend Life Day alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Day on D'Qar

**Author's Note:**

> I had to change canon a little so that Rey is still on D'Qar for a while before leaving to find Luke.
> 
> I also adjusted existing lore about Life Day.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story! Happy holidays!

There was a lot to do on the Resistance base on D’Qar following the destruction of the Starkiller Base. Pilots and crews worked to repair the surviving X-Wings, medics tended to the injured, and soldiers and intelligence officers pored over every piece of data from the battle.

Rey helped Chewbacca repair the _Millennium Falcon_ , which she suspected could be a neverending task. She was glad of the opportunity to work with the big Wookiee. As much as she mourned the loss of Han Solo, who had taught her so much in the short time they had traveled together, Rey knew that Han had shared a deeper bond with Chewbacca. Chewbacca’s rage at Han’s death had been terrifying, and the grief that had followed seemed equally overwhelming.

Rey did what she could to keep Chewbacca busy, working with him on each project. There were times when he entered a quiet funk, and he would sit quietly, tools forgotten in his hands, hanging his great head and staring at the _Falcon_ like he could not even see it. At those times, Rey gave Chewie space to mourn. When his grief abated, she was ready with the next project, and though they never spoke of it, the Wookiee seemed glad for her discretion.

Leia Organa asked after Chewbacca whenever she ran into Rey. Leia avoided seeing Chewbacca herself because she knew that her presence would bring back painful memories for him.

Leia told Rey, “Just because he’s strong doesn’t mean Chewbacca feels loss any less than the rest of us. He may be big, but he has a heart that’s even bigger. Keep an eye on him. I can tell he likes you, and I know he appreciates having you around.”

She also gave Rey food that she could bring to Chewbacca. Rey knew that Leia was hurting, too. Of all of them, Leia had the most experience with loss. The destruction of her home planet had only been the first major blow she had suffered. Rey saw how Leia dealt with her own pain by easing the pain of others. It was something Rey respected and admired in her.

When she could, Rey ate together with the Wookiee. When he was not in the mood to eat, she left the food for him and took away the plates the next time she visited.

Poe and Finn were worried about Chewbacca, too. As the three of them sat around a table eating one day, Rey talked to them about it. “I wish I could just grab him by his shoulders and say, ‘Okay, I get it, he’s gone! I’m sad too, and I’m sorry, but we have to move on.’” She sighed. “That came out the wrong way. That’s the problem. I don’t know how to say it.”

Poe looked her in the eyes. His gaze was steady and reassuring. “Hey, what you’re doing for him is already so important. He knows that you care about him and that you share his grief. You just have to give him time.”

Rey nodded, her face still glum. “It doesn’t seem like enough.”

Poe put a hand on her shoulder. “Everyone mourns in their own way, in their own time.”

Finn nodded. “He knows he’s not going through this alone.”

Rey gave her friends a small smile. “Time, huh?”

Poe nodded. “Be patient. It’ll pass.”

At first, it seemed like Poe was right, and Chewbacca got better day by day. His dark moods came upon him less often, and they did not last as long. Rey noticed that he avoided the cockpit, which must have had some of his strongest memories of Han, but Rey felt confident that time would heal his wounds.

Then, without any reason Rey could notice, things started to get worse again. He sighed often, deep sounds resonant with sadness. She even caught him crying silently sometimes, tears sliding silently down his face as he fought to conceal his pain from her. The one time she tried to embrace him, he got up suddenly and walked off into the forest for hours. Worst of all, he hardly ever seemed to want to eat with Rey any more.

Rey asked Poe and Finn, but they were as baffled as she was.

Leia knew immediately. “Life Day is coming up,” she said.

“What’s Life Day?”

“It’s a Wookiee festival. Chewie and Han used to always spend it together. No matter what else was going on, Han always found a way to celebrate Life Day with Chewie.” She gave a tired smile. “Well, with a few exceptions, like when Han was hanging on Jabba’s wall.”

Rey understood. “Chewbacca has to spend Life Day without Han.”

Leia nodded. “And he doesn’t know how. The two of them were more than just friends. They were such a part of each other’s lives that, when Han died, it was like a piece of Chewie died, too.”

“What about you?” Rey asked. “He cares about you, too. Did you ever celebrate Life Day with him?”

“I don’t know.” Leia smiled sadly. “It was always their thing together. It wouldn’t be the same with me.”

The next day, Rey went back to working with Chewie on the _Falcon_ , only now it seemed like she was doing almost all of the work. More and more, Chewie just sat quietly without moving. Sometimes he would pull apart a system and leave it in pieces, turning away from it with a dejected look in his eyes that nearly broke Rey’s heart.

There were times when Rey would bring Chewbacca his food, only to find his previous meal where she had left it, still uneaten.

She felt that, despite what Leia had said, there must be something they could do. She sought out her friends, and she found Poe helping Finn with some recovery exercises.

“Hey, Rey,” said Finn as she came up to them. He blew out a breath as he lifted a weight and held it. When he lowered it again, he said, “Thanks for coming by. I could use a break.” When he saw her expression, he added in a softer tone, “I can see you’re still worried about Chewie.”

“He’s gotten worse. Leia says that Life Day is coming up, and Chewie would always spend it with Han.”

“Could we spend Life Day with him?” asked Poe. “The three of us, and Leia?”

Rey shook her head. “Leia says it’s something he shared with Han, and only with Han.”

“It must have been very important to him,” said Finn, nodding.

Poe took the weight from Finn and laid it on a rack of weights. Poe said, “There must be something we can do, though. At least so he doesn’t spend Life Day alone.”

Finn’s eyebrows drew together. “We don’t want to make things worse, though. Maybe it’s not our place.”

All Rey could do was nod her head, but she did not know what to say.

Life Day arrived. Rey tried working on the _Falcon_ with Chewbacca, but she could not keep it up for long. Chewbacca went between barely being aware of her presence while she worked to finding fault with everything she did when she was done. He growled to himself as he pulled apart her repairs, once going so far as to bend a hull plate back from where she had welded it. She could see how the effort strained his muscles to the point of agony, but all the Wookiee did was grit his teeth and pull harder.

When Rey could not stand the tension any longer, she put away her tools and left, frustrated with herself, frustrated with Chewbacca, and frustrated with herself for being frustrated with Chewbacca. She found Poe and Finn nearby, sitting on some empty supply boxes.

“We came to see how you were doing,” said Finn, looking somewhat guilty for checking up on her.

“How both of you are doing,” added Poe.

“Not great.” Rey looked at them, then back toward the _Falcon_. “We can’t just leave him like this.”

Finn frowned. “What can we do?”

“Life Day,” said Rey, with a spark of hope. “There must be some way we can make it happen for him.”

Poe looked dubious. “If Leia doesn’t know how we could make it work, I don’t know what we can do. Chewbacca has never spent Life Day with anyone but Han.”

“Well, he’s going to now,” Rey declared. “I’ve been thinking about this, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

“I don’t know…” Finn began.

Poe started nodding slowly toward Rey as conviction dawned on his face. “I think you’re right. It’s not just for Chewie. It’s also for you, and for Finn. Rey, you grew up alone, with no-one to spend festivals with. Finn, I don’t think they had any celebrations in the First Order. Well, any good ones, anyway.”

“And Leia…” Rey said “I think she might need this most of all.”

Finn looked from Poe to Rey. Seeing their determination helped him make up his mind. “Okay, I’m in. What do we do?”

Reyt thought about it for a few moments. “Let’s see what we can learn about Life Day, and then figure out what we can manage here. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Poe smiled. “That sounds like a plan.” He slapped Finn on the back. “Come on! We’ll find you things to do that would count as part of your rehabilitation.”

Finn smiled back. “I’m sure it will beat lifting weights!”

They spent the afternoon searching the base’s databanks for information about Life Day and gathering the supplies they would need. That evening they went into the forest together to prepare. When they were finished, Poe and Finn went to get Leia, while Rey went to the _Falcon_ to fetch Chewie.

At first, she couldn’t find him anywhere. She checked the two holds, the freight loading room, the crew quarters, both turrets, and even the escape pods. Then she noticed that the cockpit door was closed. She tapped the console to open it, but the door remained shut. When she knocked, there was no answer. She knocked again, and a miserable warning growl came from within.

Rey left the _Falcon_ to find Poe, Finn, and Leia waiting outside by the ramp. “He’s locked himself in the cockpit,” she told them. “I don’t know what to do.”

Leia motioned for Finn and Poe to stay. “You two wait here.” She walked up the boarding ramp, with Rey following her.

Leia went to the cockpit and knocked on the door. Rey could hear Chewie rumble something from inside.

“Chewie, it’s Leia. I know you’re hurting.” For a moment, sadness creased Leia’s features. She collected herself with an effort and continued. “It’s Life Day You should spend this time with friends.”

Rey couldn’t make out Chewbacca’s reply, but she saw Leia’s face fall.

“I miss him, too. ” She couldn’t keep the sorrow out of her voice any longer. “You may not want to spend this Life Day with us, but we want to spend it with you.”

There was only silence from the other side of the door, which seemed to stretch on. Finally, the door opened. Chewbacca seemed smaller than he had before, stooped with the weight of sadness. Leia’s face softened with relief when she saw him. He gave Leia a mournful look and stepped out of the cockpit.

“Come on,” Leia said. She took his hand gently, and the small woman led the tall Wookie down the ramp.

When Poe and Finn saw Chewbacca, they smiled at each other.

“It’s good to see you, buddy,” said Poe, reaching up to gently touch Chewie’s shoulder.

“We’ve missed you,” Finn added. “Now come on, we’ve got something to show you.”

Leia kept Chewbacca’s hand in hers as they walked through the darkened forest, and she did not let it go until they reached the spot. They stopped in front of the tallest tree in this part of the forest, and Rey hit the switch connected to the generator they had brought out earlier.

Instantly, the lights strung up on the tree came to life, and even though she thought she knew what to expect, Rey gasped. The ribbons and garlands they had hung on the tree looked otherworldly in the soft glow of the lights. They had learned that Wookiees decorated ancient trees on Life Day to honor them and the strength they gave the forest. Wookiees would gather around the tree and think of all the events that had happened in the tree’s lifetime. The ceremony included a time for remembering those who had known the tree who were no longer with the clan. While the tree endured, their memory lived on.

The light reflected in Chewbacca’s eyes as tears slowly trickled down his furry cheeks. For many long moments nobody said anything. Then, without warning, Chewbacca gathered them all close in a mighty hug. Finn let out a grunt as his bruised bones protested, and the Wookiee relaxed his grip slightly as the others hugged him back. Leia buried her face in Chewie’s fur as her shoulders shook with sobs. Rey smiled to see her friends’ faces damp with tears, and she felt her own tears warm on her cheeks.

Later, they would share the meal they had prepared. At that moment, though, all Rey wanted to do was hold them all as close as she could, and so she did.


End file.
